A mother holding a baby
Estate Planning

Wills & Trusts

Want a simple, flexible way to to provide long-term support for children we serve together? Give a gift through your will or trust.

Giving after your lifetime means your generosity will continue to touch the lives of children who desperately need to know the love and grace of Jesus Christ. You will help ensure that children in the care of Compassion’s local church partners receive the resources and opportunities they need to grow, thrive and ultimately overcome poverty.

Give a Gift Through Your Will

Designating a bequest to Compassion through a will or trust is one of the simplest ways to extend your legacy of hope to children after your lifetime. This giving option provides significant flexibility because your will or trust can be changed at any time.

There are several resources for you, including:

  • A team of dedicated Legacy and Asset specialists

    We are ready to assist you with any questions you may have. You can call 855-315-5019 or email [email protected] or simply fill out the form below and someone will follow-up with you directly.

  • GiftWise online will creation

    If you’re ready to create or update a will now, you have access to an online platform where you can easily and affordably make a legally binding will in less than 20 minutes through our partnership with GiftWise. Create your will today.

  • Legacy of Hope Planning Guide

    The Legacy of Hope planning guide is designed to help you make a lasting impact with basic assets, such as your home, life insurance and retirement accounts. It will help you release children from poverty AND reduce unnecessary taxes. Do you need a place to start? Simply download a digital copy of our planning guide.

Get Started

Give a Gift Through Your Trust

You can also use trusts to reduce taxes and, if you choose, provide ongoing payments to yourself or loved ones. Trusts are legal entities that hold assets for beneficiaries to inherit eventually.

  • Charitable Lead Trust:

    This type of trust provides your designated charities with current income from the trust in the form of interest and asset appreciation payouts. After a specified period (or at death), the balance of the trust is then transferred back to your beneficiaries. This offers the current benefit of donations to charity and reduces taxable income for your beneficiaries.

  • Charitable Remainder Trust:

    With this type of trust, you provide assets to the trust, which then pays an income to you or anyone you choose. You can designate payments for a specified period (or for your lifetime and the lifetimes of others receiving payments). When the last person receiving payments passes away, the remaining balance is donated to your designated charities. You’ll receive income and save on taxes immediately while helping children in poverty in the years to come.

  • Revocable Living Trust:

    A revocable living trust is a document that allows you to place assets or property into a trust so they can seamlessly transfer to your beneficiaries after you pass away. As its name suggests, you can amend or revoke the terms of a revocable living trust at any time. You can also give in a variety of ways. For example, you can give a designated amount or provide a percentage of your estate. Revocable living trusts are one of the simplest ways to donate to Compassion.

Choose How You Would Like Your Gift to Be Used

If you have already included Compassion in your will or trust, thank you! Did you know that you can designate how you want your bequest to be used by the ministry? Just complete this form to let us know your wishes. (Non-designated bequests are applied to the Where Most Needed Fund.)

Click Here for the Designation Form

Join the Swanson Legacy Society

Compassion International is honored to recognize our incredibly generous ministry partners with membership into the Swanson Legacy Society. This exceptional group of supporters is named after the Rev. Everett Swanson, who had a heart for God’s children and founded the ministry of Compassion International in 1952.

The Swanson Legacy Society is reserved for ministry partners who have pledged a gift in their will or trust, have purchased annuities or have made beneficiary designations to care for generations of children through Compassion International.

As a member of the Compassion International Swanson Legacy Society, you will:

  • Be invited to exclusive events and volunteer opportunities.
  • Receive news and updates about the Compassion International community.
  • Establish your legacy as a champion of children and a steward of God’s Kingdom.

Have you already included Compassion in your estate plan? Let us know so we can welcome you into the Swanson Legacy Society! Call us at 855-315-5019 or contact us at [email protected].

This is such an easy way to continue affecting generations long after we’re gone. To know that we have this treasure that we’re building up now, that will continue to reap tremendous benefits for families around the world, it’s amazing. Who wouldn’t want to do that?

FRED & ELLEN BALLIET
— Swanson Legacy Society Members

Get Started

We welcome the opportunity to speak with you or answer any questions you may have. Fill out the form below and one of our dedicated Legacy and Asset Specialists will be in touch with you.

If you have questions, call us at 855-315-5019 or email [email protected].

NOTE: The information on this website is not intended as legal or tax advice. For such advice, please consult an attorney or tax advisor. Figures cited in examples are for hypothetical purposes only and are subject to change. References to estate and income taxes include federal taxes only. State income/estate taxes or state law may impact your results.